Artificial Turf and Your Health | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Skip Navigation Artificial Turf and Your Health Close the left navigation Add Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) Previous Podcast Menopause and the Environment Artificial Turf and Your Health May 20, 2024 Download: Transcript Audio Experts: Homero Harari, Sc.D. In this episode, NIEHS-funded researcher Homero Harari, Sc.D., talks about the potential health and safety concerns of playing on artificial turf. He also discusses how communities can make informed decisions about whether to install synthetic surfaces at schools, parks, and playgrounds. Artificial Turf and Your Health When investing in athletic fields and playgrounds, schools and communities must often decide between natural grass or artificial turf. Compared to grass, artificial turf may be more durable and require less maintenance. However, some parents and communities are concerned about how playing on these artificial surfaces may affect health. The synthetic materials that make up artificial turf can expose children, athletes, and others to PFAS, heavy metals, and other harmful chemicals. Additionally, artificial turf gets significantly hotter than grass, increasing the risk of heat stress and burns among those who play on the fields. In this episode, we’ll talk with Homero Harari, Sc.D., who studies the potential health and safety concerns of playing on artificial turf and helps communities make informed decisions about whether to install synthetic surfaces at schools, parks, and playgrounds. Interviewee: Homero Harari, Sc.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. As an exposure scientist, he develops methods to assess how people are exposed to harmful chemicals in the environment and workplace. Funded by NIEHS, Harari is leading a community-engaged project to characterize the chemicals present in turf fields and playgrounds, and assess children’s exposure to those substances, as well as to heat from the synthetic surfaces. Resources: Access the 2024 assessment report referenced in the episode. The report shares findings from a federal research effort to examine potential exposures and health effects due to the use of recycled tire rubber used on artificial turf fields as infill material. Read this article , written by Harari, for an overview of research focused on potential exposures and health effects from the use artificial surfaces in play areas. Review research from the National Toxicology Program about chemicals released from synthetic turf and the potential health effects. Visit the Partnership for Healthy Playing Surfaces webpage References Massey R, Pollard L, Jacobs M, Onasch J, Harari H. 2020. Artificial Turf Infill: A Comparative Assessment of Chemical Contents. New Solut. 30(1):10-26. [ Abstract Previous Podcast Menopause and the Environment Back to Top Last Reviewed: December 31, 2025